Overview

These short notes on Postmodernism will give you a good overview of this literary period.

What is postmodernism?

• Postmodernism is often said to have begun around the 1960s. It is debated whether we are still in the age of postmodernism.
• Postmodernism rejects the existence of absolute meaning or fixed identity: We must create our own meaning and our own identities.
• Postmodern fiction often contains playful experiments, black humor, irony, intertextuality, pastiche, metafiction, and the mixing of genres and styles.
• Postmodernism was influenced by its historical context: WW1, WW2, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, and international terrorism led to a loss of faith in mankind, authorities, and “grand narratives” such as religion and political ideologies. 
• Also, the emergence of the capitalistic consumer society and then the information society led to increased self-awareness, individualit